Monthly Archives: May 2015

Jessica Mitford took on the American funeral industry, the California Department of Corrections, and the Ku Klux Klan, but it was her 1970 exposé of The Famous Writers School which led to Time calling her “The Queen of the Muckrakers.” And if a courageous editor hadn’t reversed his decision to kill her story, it might never have happened.

Mitford had been aware of The Famous Writers School’s existence for some time. Anyone who was a frequent reader of newspapers, books or magazines would have seen its ever-present advertisements, inviting aspiring writers to cut out and apply for the free aptitude test. While Mitford was suspicious, she didn’t have anything concrete until her lawyer husband took on a new client.

Bob Treuhaft was approached by a 72-year old widow, living on Social Security, who had cleaned out her bank account to make a down-payment to The Famous Writers School. On the…

I’m In! After 5 years of entering the NYC Marathon Lottery I’ve finally been chosen. Now the training commences. My foot is feeling good, I just need to be careful and pay attention to any of the pain. Hotel rooms are booked additional sightseeing plans in place and my sister will be meeting me there. So another week of fun and hard work will be at my feet.